I really enjoyed this book, even if it was a little over my head. I like John Granger and I think he is a logical author, one who doesn't just say something for the sake of being heard. He really does his research, and even if his assumptions or theories are wrong, you can't say that he didn't back them up with a lot of evidence. I especially liked this book because it gave me an entirely new view on HP. I never really considered all that went into HP, especially his whole chapter on Alchemy (alchemical literary devices, alchemical marriages, etc.). It's absolutely fascinating to read about how alchemy figures in the HP series. Some, obviously given the title of the first book, are obvious references. But then Granger provides for you the elements you may never have considered before, which not only makes reading HP a lot more interesting than it already was and gives you a lot to think about, but it also shows you how much thought, research and time was put in by J. K. Rowling to write these amazing books.

Extremely thought provoking and detailed. I started reading this book many years ago and have picked away at it since. John Granger is a really lovely person and I love his fearlessness in applying academic and worldly concepts to stories he enjoys. As a young person who grew up with Harry Potter, this book became my primer on literary alchemy, post-modernism and cultural criticism. It's very wordy and it would seem like rambling to people who aren't deeply interested in literature, but if you are, I feel like this is definitely worth picking up. There's something about reading an academic's thoughts about a contemporary story you love that really opens one's mind. I would really give it 3.5 stars, almost four but it could use a little editing. I look forward to reading his Deathly Hallows Lectures and I feel like his writing may have tightened up a lot.